The Demigod and the Mortal
by Alex-2598
Summary: The Fates weave a different path for Percy Jackson and Rachel Dare. The same adventures, perhaps a different result. Perchel


**The first chapter will essentially be the Hoover Dam scene from Rachel's persepctive. Most of the dialogue is lifted directly from the book. All credit to RR for those parts.**

Rachel hated it when her parents tried to buy her affection. That was all this trip was, and she knew it. Every time she was upset, instead of trying to actually talk to her, her dad would just say, time for a vacation! Sometimes it was Europe, or the carribean, or the west coast. This time they settled for the Hoover Dam. It was a cool place, she had to admit, but that didn't change the fact that the whole trip was her parents' way of avoiding their responsibilities. Once they had arrived at the dam, Dad signed them up for a tour.

Their guide walked them through the upper levels, then directed them to an elevator that would take them down to the turbine level. Rachel sighed as the guide started explaining. Going down seven hundred feet, she said. Then someone from the back of the elevator spoke up.

"Does this go to the snack bar?" Rachel almost laughed, she knew her parents wouldn't have approved. The voice seemed to belong to a teenage boy. She guessed he was enjoying this tour as much as she was. The tour guide told him they were going down to the turbines.

"Is there any other way out of the dam?" the boy asked.

If you find one, let me know, Rachel wanted to say. But nothing happened, and the elevator ontinued to descend until at last the doors opened and the crowd of tourists spilled out into an underground passage. The tunnel cut directly through the rock and led to a massive room, with turbines churning electricity below. For a few moments, Rachel looked down at them while another tour guide started talking about the history of the turbines, their architectural design and such. Her parents were preoccupied, Mom was taking pictures, Dad was on his phone, probably talking with someone from work. Neither of them would notice if she stepped away for a few minutes. As discreetly as she could, she slipped into a nearby hallway.

The lights were somewhat dim down here, no doubt most of the electrical output was going to the turbines. Rachel wished it was even darker, and that she could somehow melt away into the shadows. But she was stuck here. Might as well enjoy her alone time before she had to go back. Then she saw something strange, a boy who looked about 13 or 14, backing slowly into the hallway. She was about to ask what he was doing when she felt a sneeze coming on. Quickly fishing in her pocket for a Kleenex, she brought it up to her nose just in time.

In the next moment, like a predator pouncing on its prey, the boy whirled around and swung something bronze colored at her. Rachel yelped, dropping her Kleenex. Then she noticed a couple of things. One: that boy had just cut her in half with a sword, and two, she was completely unharmed, as though it had just phased through her.

"Oh my god! Dp you always kill people when they blow their nose?" she shouted.

The boy looked bewildered, like he'd expected her to fall over and crumble into dust or something. "You're mortal!" he said.

What? Rachel thought. The boy didn't look out of the ordinary, aside from the fact that he was holding a three foot long bronze sword that looked like it had come out of a museum. He had a mop of raven-black hair, and green eyes that reminded her of the Atlantic ocean. In normal circumstances, she would be found him cute. Right now she just thought he was crazy.

"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I'm mortal! How did you get that sword past security?"

The boy looked confused again. "I didn't- wait, you can see it's a sword?"

What kind of a ridiculous question was that? "Well it's either a sword or the biggest toothpick in the world. And why didn't it hurt me? Not that I'm complaining. Who are you? And whoa, what is that you're wearing? Is that made of lion fur?"

The boy winced with each question, Rachel didn't care, she wanted answers, and this had been by far the most interesting part of the trip so far. She waited, but he didn't answer any of her questions. He looked like he was trying really hard to concentrate, then he opened his eyes and snapped his fingers, like a magician. "You don't see a sword, it's just a ballpoint pen."

Yeah right. This guy was insane. "Um, no. It's a sword, weirdo."

"Who are you?" the boy asked. Oh, so now he wanted to ask the questions, huh?

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Now are you going to answer any of my questions or am I going to have to scream for security?"

"No!" The boy almost shouted. He looked over his shoulder, like he was expecting someone, then turned back to Rachel. "I mean, I'm in a hurry. I'm in trouble."

"In a hurry or in trouble?" Rachel asked.

"Um, sort of both."

Beforr she could ask another question however, she saw something that scared her nearly half to death, skeletons, as in honest to goodness skeletal remains, not cheap Halloween costumes, running towards the hallway. Just what in the world was going on today? Maybe her imagination had finally gone wild. Unfortunately, she had a feeling those skeletons were after the boy with the sword, she needed to get him out of here.

"Bathroom!" she whisper shouted.

"What?" the boy replied.

"Bathroom! Behind me! Now!"

The boy still looked confused, but he darted into the restroom, leaving Rschel to face the skeletons. It just now occurred to her that she'd probably signed her own death warrant, why was she protecting someone who's just tried to kill her? Still, she was here, might as well put on a convincing performance.

"Oh my god, did you see that kid?! It's about time you got here, he tried to kill me! He had a sword for god's sake! You security guys let a sword-swinging lunatic inside a national landmark? I mean jeez! He ran that way towards those turbine thingies. I think he went over the side or something, maybe he fell." Rachel crossed her fingers and prayed they would buy the story. If not, she was probably dead, there was no way she could fight them off. Fortunately, it seemed like they did. They spoke to each other in some weird clattering skeleton language, then started off towards the turbines.

Rachel opened the bathroom door, luckily, this time the boy didn't try to kill her. He was leaned against the wall, clutching his sword like his life depended upon it. For the first time in the brief time she'd known him, she understood why.

"All clear, but you'd better hurry."

The boy peeked around the corner of the doorway, then looked back at her. "I owe you one Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

"What are those things? They looked like-"

"Skeletons?" the boy asked. Rachel nodded. So she wasn't just seeing things. This was real. Walking skeletons, kids with swords, Rachel wondered just what sort of world she had stumbled into.

"Do yourself a favor," the boy said, forget it. Forget you ever saw me."

It was a little late for that. "Forget you tried to kill me?"

"Yeah, that too."

This was all happening too quickly, Rachel still had more questions. She realized she didn't want the boy to leave. "But who are you?"

"Percy-" the boy started, then he gazed in the direction the skeletons had gone and tensed up. "Gotta go!"

"What kind of a name is Percy Gotta-Go?"

The boy, Percy, didn't answer, but instead sprinted away towards the exit. And just like that he was gone.

Percy had told Rachel to forget, but even as the words were leaving his mouth, she knew that it would never happen. And even if she never saw him again for the rest of her life, Rachel would never forget the day she met the boy with wild black hair and eyes like the sea who'd tried to kill her with a sword. And she'd never forget the day she'd saved him from walking skeleton warriors.


End file.
